Chapter 1024
At the Nichols family’s old house, Melody turned over a table. “Debra, how dare she do this? Control the media now. Don’t let this blow up.”
“It’s too late,” Joe faltered. “The news is all over the place. An agency called New Age is behind it. I tried to negotiate with them, but they refused to take down the story.”
“New Age? Who are they to cross us?” Melody fumed. She had never heard of this news agency.
Joe looked worried. “The news is unfavorable for Mr. Nichols. We need to find him and get his side of the story fast. We need to clear things up.”
If he was framed, we could hold a press conference to…
Melody agreed, “Then what are you waiting for? Go.”
“Yes, Madam,” Joe said, rushing out.
Melody sat down, her mind racing. She couldn’t let the family empire crumble.
“Sophie, call the Buchans. If something happens to Juan, we must stand strong.”
“But they…” Sophie hesitated.
“Just do as I say,” Melody insisted.
Meanwhile, Debra arrived at the ruined Nichols Mansion, where she used to live with Juan. The place was in ashes, barely recognizable.
A police officer stopped her. “No entry allowed.”
But another officer recognized her. “This is Mrs. Houston.”
The first officer stepped aside. “Mrs. Houston, it’s not safe here. Please stay back.”
Debra said, “I’m not going over. Has Juan been here?”
The officers exchanged a look. “We haven’t seen him.”
Debra frowned. “Not even once?”
They shook their heads, but Debra wasn’t ready to give up. “Do you know what caused the fire?”
One officer explained, “It looks like arson. Someone doused the place with gasoline and set it on fire.”
Debra’s mind raced. ‘So, Juan really murdered Shelia. But why?’
An officer interrupted her thoughts. “Mrs. Houston?”
Debra snapped back. “It’s nothing. Thank you.”
She headed back to the car. She had tried calling Juan, but his phone was off. He was clearly avoiding her.
She muttered to herself, “It looks like he willingly gave up his company to me. How am I supposed to repay him? Maybe he just wants me to owe him forever.”